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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chest — of your body
  4. swing — music
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — of water
  9. chest — a box
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — in golf
  12. content — the amount
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spring — a coil
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. content — happy
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. spring — the season
  24. bowl — a dish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com